STORRS, Conn. — The No. 1-ranked UConn women’s basketball team unveiled its 2025 NCAA championship banner at Gampel Pavilion on Sunday. Then, the 12-time national champion Huskies continued their dominance.
Azzi Fudd led UConn with 23 points, shooting 60% from the field and 42.9% from 3-point range. Sarah Strong has 21 points and nine rebounds. Kayleigh Heckel added 12 points and six steals off the bench for UConn (2-0).
‘I would say that whenever we’re drawing up a play in the huddle, one of the first two words out of my mouth is Azzi or Sarah,’ UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. ‘So they are going to be involved one way or another and what we’re doing. A lot of times it’s both.
‘Based on these first two games, that’s kind of the way that I wanted to go, you know, for the rest of the season. … You know, 21 and 23 points. It’s a point a minute, I think that’s pretty good.’
Auriemma was pleased with Fudd’s all-around effort. She added five assists, three rebounds and two steals.
‘She really leaning into this defensive mentality,’ Auriemma said. ‘Last year, we put Paige (Bueckers) on the other team’s best player, right? … This year, Azzi’s going to have to guard the other’s team’s best player. And that’s all there was to it, and she loves it.’
Sole Williams led Florida State (2-1) with 14 points. Allie Kubek and Jasmine Shaver added 11 points apiece.
See a recap of the game and highlights below:
Third quarter: UConn 83, Florida State 48
The Huskies took their largest lead of the game by outscoring the Seminoles 32-21 in the quarter. UConn has 36 points in the paint and 22 fastbreak points. Azzi Fudd has 23 points on 9-of-15 shooting including three 3-pointers. Sarah Strong has 21 points and nine rebounds. Kayleigh Heckel added 10 points off the bench.
Sole Williams has 11 points to lead Florida State. The Seminoles have 22 turnovers and are shooting 39% from the field.
Halftime: UConn 51, Florida State 27
The combination of Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong are overwhelming the Seminoles.
Fudd has 20 points, going 8-for-12 from the field with two 3-pointers. Strong nearly has a double-double with 16 points and 8 rebounds. She also has two assists, two blocks and a steal. She stole the ball at midcourt in the waning minutes of the second quarter and took it in for a driving layup. Stong was fouled and converted the free throw.
UConn continues to outrebound Florida State 22-15. The Huskies also have 11 steals and 26 points off turnovers.
Sole Williams is leading Florida State in scoring with seven points.
First quarter: UConn 23, Florida State 13
UConn has taken a double-digit lead at the end of the first quarter. Sarah Strong and Azzi Fudd have 10 points each. The Huskies are dominating the boards with 15 rebounds, including seven offensive boards.
Sole Williams has five points for the Seminoles. Florida State has eight rebounds and is shooting 31.1% from the field.
We are underway in Storrs
UConn had four chances on its opening possession, grabbing three offensive rebounds, and is 1-for-5 to start the game. Azzi Fudd broke the drought with a mid-range jumper.
Florida State at UConn: Time, streaming
Date: Sunday, Nov. 9
Time: 4:30 p.m. ET (1:30 p.m. PT)
Location: Gampel Pavilion
Stream: FS1
UConn unveils championship banner
Florida State starting lineup
UConn starting lineup
